Centres and Peripheries

Chapter 8 examines the questions and complications surrounding apparent ‘centres’ and ‘peripheries’ of Europe. Late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century geographical texts appear to regard certain states or regions as especially significant to overall conceptions of the continent, thanks either to their reputed importance or their supposed fringe status. The chapter focuses on Russia, France, the Italian states, Greece and the Ottoman Empire, the German states, and Britain. Analysis shows, however, that it is problematic to distinguish too sharply between core and periphery areas of Europe as regions can instead be both central and marginal simultaneously.